7 Tips to Help You Improve Your Liver Health and Function

Did you know your liver is the only organ in your body that can regenerate itself? In fact, if you had 75 percent of your liver removed, the remaining 25 percent would regenerate a full-size liver in just eight to 15 days.

Additionally, your liver is responsible for more than 500 distinct functions in your body. While all this is true, there are many times when this hardworking organ is overlooked.

Unfortunately, if you don’t take good care of your liver, you may not realize it’s having health problems. In many cases, people don’t take steps to improve liver health until they have been diagnosed with a serious condition.

Don’t let yourself all into this category. There are steps you can take and things you can do to improve liver health right now.

1. Always Practice Safe Sex

There are five primary types of the hepatitis virus. These include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E. The most serious forms are types A, B, and C. These are the conditions that can result in long-term liver damage.

Hepatitis B and C are both transmitted through having sex with multiple partners and having unprotected sex. Additionally, you can contract hepatitis B by sharing syringes or needs or coming in direct contact with blood from an infected person.

Also, a mother with hepatitis B may pass the virus on to their baby when giving birth.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you are obese, or even just slightly overweight, you are at serious risk of developing a fatty liver. Over time, this can result in NAFLD or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

This is one form of liver disease that seems to be growing at a rapid rate. Currently, there are more than 100 million people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with this condition, which is a number that has grown by 20 percent in just 10 years.

One of the best ways to reduce your likelihood of developing a fatty liver is to maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, it is a good idea to take action now to reduce the risk of developing this condition.

3. Avoid Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Alcohol can cause serious damage to your liver cells. Over time, it can lead to scarring or swelling that turns into cirrhosis, which is a potentially deadly condition.

Are you wondering how much alcohol is too much? According to the guidelines from the U.S. government, men should not drink any more than two glasses of alcohol per day and women no more than one glass.

4. Manage the Medications You Take

The majority of drugs and medications you take are broken down in your liver after your digestive system has metabolized them. As a result, if you use medication incorrectly, you may cause liver damage.

If you aren’t sure if the medication you are taking could cause liver damage, then it is a good idea to speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Also, make sure you always follow the instructions regarding how much to take, when to take it, and how to take it.

5. Eat a Properly Balanced Diet

To eat a well-adjusted diet, make sure to eat plenty of fiber, which is found in fresh vegetables and fruit, cereals and rice, and whole grain bread. While meat is important for your diet, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of red meat you consume.

Dairy and fats (the good kinds) are also important when eating a healthy diet. Hydration is essential, so make sure you drink plenty of water.

It can also be beneficial to get to know more about some of the herbs that can help with liver health. These items are designed to give your liver a boost and promote superior health.

6. Avoid Touching or Breathing in Toxins

There are some cleaning products, such as insecticides and aerosols that contain chemicals. Some of these chemicals can cause serious damage to your liver.

As a result, you should try to avoid making direct contact with these items. The additives found in cigarettes may also damage your liver, so it is a good idea not to smoke, too.

7. Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly helps your body burn triglycerides as fuel. This reduces total liver fat. When you follow an exercise program that includes both weight training and aerobic exercises, you can actually improve your liver function.

By walking, swimming or participating in some other aerobic exercise, you are strengthening your heart muscle. This means it can pump more blood through your body.

When this happens, your pulse gets slower and overall blood flow improves. As a result, it’s much easier for your heart to move blood to your liver, and for your liver to send the filtered blood out into the rest of your system.

With weight training, you can build lean muscle. This helps to delay severe muscle wasting, which may occur during the advanced stages of liver disease. Weight training also helps to reduce excess body fat, which can cause a fatty liver and result in NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis).

Improve Liver Health: Take These Steps Today

7 Tips to Help You Improve Your Liver Health and Function. Now that you know what you can do to improve liver health, you should begin taking steps to do so. After all, a healthy liver is going to help you feel better and live a healthier life.

If you found the information here helpful, then be sure to check out some of our other health related blogs. For example, how to lower your blood sugar levels. Our goal is to provide you with the health information you need to help you achieve optimum levels of health and wellness.